Pieces of Us Blog Tour: Interview with Margie Gelbwasser

Today I have the pleasure of having Margie Gelbwasser, author of Inconvenient and the upcoming Pieces of Us, here on the blog to answer a few questions about her books and about writing in general. So without further ado, here is what she had to say.

Pieces of Us is your second novel, how different was the writing process compared to when you wrote your first novel, Incovenient?

It was very different on so many levels. First, INCONVENIENT was written in a vacuum. I didn't know about reader's reactions and how the whole publishing process worked and what happened once the book hit the shelves. In that way, it was freeing, and I didn't write with anyone in mind. However, I also knew less about revisions, so there were many more drafts of INC than of PIECES OF US. To get INC to the point of where it is today, took years (this includes very early drafts and figuring out the story, etc.). POU was hard to begin because I only had an idea, glimpses of scenes. I saw the lake houses, I saw Katie and this concept of a dual life, but because I was so removed from writing INC by then, I had forgotten how I did it. I also kept hearing voices in my head, censoring this idea or that based on the market. Finally, I remembered that I wrote INC in pieces—a scene here, a scene there, not in any order. Once I remembered this, POU flowed easily. I wrote what I wanted and ignored the voice. The first draft was finished in three months. I then revised for my editor for two more, and did final copy edit revisions for anther two months.

What made you choose to write Young Adult novels as opposed to other genres?

When I was in high school, I always wanted to write the kinds of books I read. My favorites were “issue” books by Norma Klein and Norma Fox Mazer. But by the time I began writing, I had explored other authors I love (e.g. Amy Tan, Maeve Binchy) and wanted to write family and generational stories. In my stories, the teen characters were always the best developed and their stories the richest, so I wrote to my strengths and haven't looked back. :-)

How has your own Russian-Jewish background influenced what you write in your books?

In INC, it heavily influenced the story as it's about a Russian-Jewish girl. In POU, it barely influenced it at all. The characters go to lake houses every summer, which is something many of my Russian friends and I did, but I only drew on the setting, not any customs or anything like that.

In Incovenient, the story focuses mostly on one character, Alyssa. In Pieces of Us, it seems to focus on four characters and how they come together. How different writing one character versus writing four?

I absolutely loved writing in four points of view. It gave me the opportunity to really delve into four different psyches, and the freedom to branch off into a new story anytime a storyline bored or confused me. It was also interesting to see how the four teens stories connected and why. 

What has been your favorite part of being a published author?

The opportunity to reach people has been the best. Having someone tell me that my books affected them means so much to me.

Be sure to follow the rest of the tour through The Teen Book Scene!

Interview with Margie Gelbwasser

Today I have the pleasure of having Margie Gelbwasser, author of Inconvenient, on the blog to answer a few questions about her book, her characters and her inspiration. But there is a catch, all the questions had to be answered with lines from the book, which might not be as easy as it sounds. Here is was Margie Gelbwasser had to say.

Is there a character in your book you feel closer to or to whom you relate more?

I can't say I'm exactly like Alyssa. I think there's a part of me in Lana, Alyssa, and Alyssa's mom. But Alyssa is the one I feel closest to because she's the voice I heard first, and she's the one who's story I wanted to tell, and I'm proud of how she's grown through the book.

Which of your characters do you dislike the most and why?

“Jerky Jake. He takes beer, vodka, and shot glasses out his backpack. He tosses a beer to each of us, and then lies back down next to Lana. To living single, seeing double, and sleeping triple, he says.”

If you were in the book, where would we be able to find you?

“The swings, spinning ourselves, twisting the chains until they were tight.”

Has anything similar to the events in the book happened to you?

“I hate that even though we went to Hebrew school with many of the kids, we're just pegged as Russian. After we studied the Cold War in history class, some guys at school decided to go retro and call us 'commies' for a few weeks.”

Out of everything in the book, what would you most and least likely do?

Most likely: “Hunched over her computer heavily engrossed in an assignment.”

What I'd love to do more: “Run past the CVS, past the pool, past the Russian stores we get dinner from...my feet flying through the puddles...”

Least likely: “It's almost three in the morning, and I'm sandwiched between Trish and Ryan, our bodies moving in sync to pulsating music....The room spins faster and I feel vomit rising in my throat. I can barely move, but I make myself run to the bushes."

What is the best or your favorite line from the book?

“Through the wind whipping our faces, the numbness creeping into our toes, the darkness heavy and sparkling.”

Thank you Margie for answering my questions is a rather creative way. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for Inconvenient through The Teen Book Scene. And if you missed it yesterday you can see my review for Inconvenient right here.

Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser

Title: Inconvenient

Author: Margie Gelbwasser

Publisher: Flux

Release Date: November 8, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar’s Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom’s midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa’s the only one who notices--or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news--and denial--and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.

Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom’s mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom’s next fall off the wagon threatens to drag Alyssa down, too?

Inconvenient is one of those books that deals with difficult subjects that often don’t get talked about enough. It was a truly great book and once I really got into it, I was hooked and didn’t put it down until I was finished reading it.

In Alyssa Bondar’s Russian-Jewish culture, drinking with most meals is considered perfectly normal. But she notices that her mother has been drinking more and more and doing so more often. But Alyssa seems to be the only one noticing this or even caring about her mother’s worsening condition. Except that Alyssa doesn’t want to deal with her mother and no one seems to be willing to help her out. All she really wants to do is focus on her cross-country running and her potential relationship with her teammate Keith. But with everything happening with her mother, Alyssa may have more on her plate than she ever bargained for. And maybe with everything else going on in her life, will Alyssa get dragged down by it all.

The story in Inconvenient isn’t a fluffy, make you feel better type of story. It deals with subject matter that isn’t always dealt with but should be talked about more. In this particular case, Margie Gelbwasser deals with the subject of alcoholism beautifully, writing a touching story that stays with you even once you’re finished reading it. What I especially liked about the story was that it was set in a different culture, one that was different from my own but at the same time shares similarities with it. It was a different approach to the subject of alcoholism that kept me interested and taught me more. It was a truly great story, one that’s going to stay with me for a while.

Right from the start, I felt for Alyssa. It just felt like nothing was really working for her and that she didn’t really have anyone who really understood her or what she was going through. Despite not ever having really gone through what she has, I still felt like I could relate to her. Plus, I liked that she was a cross-country runner like I was all through middle and high school. At first, other than Alyssa, I didn’t really like any of the other characters. Lana just seemed to be a little too self-centered to be a truly good best friend for Alyssa. Keith I didn’t really think much of at first but as the story moved forward, I saw that he really cared and was really good for Alyssa. And the same for for Alyssa’s dad. By the end of the book, I really like them both.

Inconvenient was a really great book, one that deserves all the attention it gets and even more. I really look forward to reading whatever comes next from Margie Gelbwasser.